Hermes Florez

Dr. Florez received his MD from the University of Zulia in Maracaibo, Venezuela, and his PhD and MPH from the University of Miami School of Medicine. Following his initial career as Professor of Public Health Sciences and Medicine at Miami, he joined Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) as Associate Dean and Chair of the Department of Public Health Sciences at MUSC and as a member of the Endocrinology Service at the Robert H. Johnson Veterans’ Administration Medical Center in Charleston.

As a public health physician-scientist with training in Endocrinology and Geriatrics, the primary goal of Dr. Florez’s research efforts is to reduce the burden of chronic diseases and promote healthier aging through the implementation of best practices for prevention and management. He has a current focus on diabetes and cardiovascular disease. He is the national and international leader of projects focused on the role of genetics, gene-environment interactions, fitness promotion and pharmacological interventions using oral hypoglycemic agents in determining outcome in pre-diabetes and diabetes care. His studies in the VA system and in Latin America have been funded by the Pan American Health Organization, the American Heart Association, the International Diabetes Foundation, the VA National Center for Health Promotion & Disease Prevention, and the Center for Disease Control Prevention (CDC), as well as the NIH. As a member of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Professional Practice committee, he led national efforts to develop guidelines for diabetes management in older adults.

In addition to continuing his long-term research on diabetes disease mechanisms and, he has leveraged his clinical and epidemiological expertise to analyze social determinants of health including the recent COVID-19 pandemic, and their impact on chronic disease care in the VA health system. These efforts seek to coordinate clinical and quality improvement initiatives to reduce the burden of chronic diseases in older adults and the promotion of healthier longevity.